


Between the Pages

by SociallyAwkwardFox (Maze_Runner_Fae)



Series: JayTim Week: Summer Edition 2017 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Awkwardness, Love Notes, M/M, Shy Jason, summer job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 17:30:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11605446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze_Runner_Fae/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: Jay thinks getting a job at the local library will be the perfect way to spend his summer and make a little money while he's at it. The problem is there's a really cute boy that comes in all the time and Jay has no idea how to act when he's around. Talking with cute boys definitely isn't in his repertoire and flirting is completely out of the question!





	Between the Pages

With a pained groan, Jason let the last donation box drop onto the table to give his aching arms sweet relief. Several people looked up at the sudden thud-some sending him dirty looks-but Jason was well beyond caring. His first day working at Gotham Public Library hadn’t gone at all like he expected it to when he imagined his first day. At the interview, they had described what he would be doing and not once had they mentioned lugging around heavy donation boxes all day. The head librarian took one look at him, saw how muscular he was (Jason’s pretty sure he saw her eyes literally light up), and put him right to work. Now, he was completely exhausted and ready to go home for the day.

“Excuse me.” The books Jason had in his hands fell to the table in his surprise and caused several more hateful looks to be sent his direction. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine. What can I help you with?”

“There’s a book I’m looking for and the database says it’s not checked out, but I couldn’t find it. Is there any way you could find it?”

“I can check to see if it hasn’t been shelved yet. Otherwise, someone might be reading it right now and I can’t really help you there.”

“I’d appreciate that very much.” The boy smiled brightly at him in gratitude and Jason tried not to think about the way his heart skipped oddly in his chest at the sight. He also did his best to ignore how incredibly crystal blue his eyes were and how silky his messy black hair appeared in the light.

“Just… follow me.”

Before turning jerkily around, Jason noticed a strange look cross the boy’s face and felt embarrassment at how weird the boy probably thought he was. Even though people assumed Jason was the type of guy that moved through partners at the speed of light-what with his leather jacket and roguish good looks-Jason had less dating experience than some of the toddlers he knew. They at least had pretend weddings and held hands with each other during their playdates.

Jason could hardly speak to anyone he found remotely attractive and his mom always joked about how he’d been too shy as a child to give anyone secret Valentines. No, Jason didn’t have any experience with relationships and there was no way he would tell this boy how attractive he was or ask him out. Jason would do his job, then go home and call Kori and Roy, so he could complain about how unfairly beautiful the boy looked.

When he reached the books waiting to be shelved, he took a deep breath to prepare himself for talking to him again. “What look are you looking for?”

“The Count of Monte Cristo.”

“Good choice.”

“It’s a favorite of mine. I try to read it every summer at least once.”

Jason let out a little hum as he pulled the book off the cart and handed it to him. “There you go.”

“Thanks, Jason.”

“How do you know my name?”

“It’s on your name tag.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that.” At the same time he spoke, Jason rubbed nervously at the back of his neck and tried not to blush. “I should get back to work. Happy reading.”

“Have a good day and thank you again.”

* * *

 

The bed bounced under his body, causing something to fall off and hit the floor with a muffled thump against the carpet. His entire body felt sore and worn out, but that was nothing compared to the shame still coursing through him. All he could think about the rest of his shift was the short interaction he had with the gorgeous blue-eyed boy. He hadn’t even gotten his name and Jason couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was pathetic and embarrassing and Jason wished he could just forget about the whole thing. Stupid attractive boy!

Not wanting to wallow alone any longer, Jason booted up his laptop to video chat Kori and Roy like he wanted for the past couple of hours. A tanner than he remembered her being the last time he saw her Kori appeared on the screen, quickly followed by a sleepy Roy. They both greeted him-one sleepily, the other brightly-and asked how his first day went. A loaded question.

“It was mostly fine.”

“Mostly?” The concern in Kori’s voice didn’t hide the fiery look in her eyes that meant she was prepared to go to battle if she needed to. “What do you mean by mostly?”

“What do you think? I made a complete idiot out of myself!”

“You’re exaggerating. You always do.”

“I am not and I do not. There was this unfairly beautiful boy that asked for my help and I sounded like a moron! I mean, he knew my name and I didn’t get how he knew, until he reminded me I was wearing a name tag. I’m going to grow old and die alone.”

“Stop being so dramatic. It’s one cute boy. If he comes back again, then flirt with him. If he doesn’t, then how you acted and sounded doesn’t even matter. He doesn’t know who you are and he’ll probably forget about the awkward book sorter that helped him out.”

“That’s not my job title.”

“Whatever. Just stop acting like the world is ending. There’s a million other cute boys and girls out there. Blowing it with one doesn’t mean you’ll end up alone. Plus, you have us. Right, Roy?” An incoherent grumble of assent came from Roy, something that earned him a roll of the eyes from Kori. “You get the point. I need to go. Have fun shelving books tomorrow.”

“Have fun sitting on the beach all day.”

* * *

 

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully, until Friday afternoon rolled around and the boy walked into the library. With only a few hours left in his last shift for the week, Jason thought he was in the clear, but life had to go and be a dick to him. As he watched the boy walk further into the library, every fiber of his being hoped he wouldn’t need anything. All his prayers were granted when the boy grabbed several books, then took a seat at a table near the back of the library.

For the next three hours, Jason continued to glance in the boy’s direction to make sure he wasn’t heading over to Jason’s station. Every time he looked, his head was buried in a book with no sign he even knew the outside world still existed. It was a habit Jason had as well-getting so lost in a story everything else disappeared-and it only made Jason feel more attracted to him. An attraction so strong, he nearly screwed up checking people’s books out several times because he was distracted by the mere thought of the boy.

As soon as his replacement came to relieve him, Jason bolted out from behind the counter and quickly walked to the staff room. He took his time grabbing the few belongings he brought with him and considered trying to find a backway out of the library. In the end, he decided even if there was one, it would be utterly ridiculous for him to sneak out like a thief. He could walk through the library and out the front door without causing a scene. For all he knew, the boy might have left while Jason was busy freaking out in the staff room.

After taking a deep breath to steel himself, Jason headed out the door and made his way back through the shelves. When he passed by the table he’d seen the boy sitting at, he still had his nose too deep in the pages to notice Jason. He didn’t glance up or even blink when Jason’s shadow fell over him for a brief second. His eyes were glued to the book cradled in his hands and Jason did an internal happy dance for his obliviousness to Jason’s presence. It would be at least three more days before there was a possibility of Jason making a fool out of himself in front of the boy again.

* * *

 

It was Wednesday the next time he came into the library. Jason’s heart momentarily stopped in his chest when he headed for the desk Jason was stationed at, but it resumed beating when he went to the pick-up line. The girl working it-a sassy blonde named Stephanie-got what the boy checked out online and gave Jason a pointed look as she did it. He didn’t know how she knew about his crush, but he knew it meant he was in trouble the instant the boy left the counter.

Just as expected, Stephanie rolled over to him with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. “Do you even know his name?”

“No.”

“That’s pathetic. You look like a kicked puppy.”

“Shut up.”

The blonde stuck her tongue out, then kicked her rolling chair back over to her station. “It’s Tim, lover boy. Hope you’ve got better moves than pining in your arsenal.”

“Thanks. I guess.”

“Break his heart and I break your face.”

“I regret working here.”

“Too late now, Romeo.”

* * *

 

He was covered in sweat when he next saw Tim in the library. It’d been another day of carrying donation boxes around and he still had to sort through them once he brought out the last one. This time they made unintentional eye contact and Tim gave him a friendly wave and half-smile in greeting. With a box in his hands, it was impossible to wave and not have the box fall, so Jason tried to return the friendly smile. There was a good possibility it appeared more uncomfortable or unpleasant, but Tim didn’t make a weird face or immediately turn away, so Jason decided to count it as a win.

Tim grabbed a couple books, then settled down at the same table he occupied the previous week. Once he was buried in a book, Jason breathed out a sigh of relief and tried to do his job like a good employee. Before he could continue, Stephanie got his attention and pointed right at Tim with a stern expression on her face. Jason vigorously shook his head no and nearly tripped in his haste to get away from both of them.

Half the books were sorted by the time Jason looked over at Tim’s table again and confusion ran through him at the sight. All the books were still there, but Tim was nowhere to be seen. One look over at Stephanie gave him all the information he needed, after she rolled her eyes and mouthed bathroom. In a spur of the moment decision, Jason jotted down a quick note, then hurried over to the table and tucked it in between the pages of the open book. In the silence of the library, he easily heard Stephanie snickering at him.

Before Tim appeared, she stopped her laughing, but continued to look thoroughly amused about the whole situation. They both watched as Tim sat down and brought the book up to pick up where he left off. Before he could get back to reading, the note slipped from between the pages and fluttered down to the table. Tim’s eyes widened in surprise, then he set down the book and opened the note. His face grew steadily pinker, until he reached the end of the note and covered his face with his hands. After a few seconds, he dropped them and quickly hid behind the book instead.

When Jason tore his attention away from Tim long enough to look at Stephanie, the girl silently applauded him and sent him a playful wink. Like Tim, Jason felt his cheeks heat up with a blush and he hid it by looking down at his work. Of course, that didn’t stop the grin from taking over his face as he replayed Tim’s reaction in his mind on a loop for the rest of his shift.

* * *

 

Leaving notes in Tim’s books became a regular thing over the next two months. Whenever Jason saw Tim leave his seat, he would sneak over to the table and leave a note in the book left open on the table. Sometimes they were little poems he found, sometimes they were quotes from books, and sometimes Jason wrote whatever popped into his head. Every single one brought a smile to Tim’s face and left Jason feeling on top of the world.

The note he had just hid between the pages of Tim’s latest book was a quote from The Count of Monte Cristo. He wrote the note almost immediately after the first one, but convinced himself he needed to wait to use it. After all, Tim had told him it was a favorite of his and using it so quickly would have made who wrote the note too obvious. Even after two months of leaving notes, Jason wasn’t ready for Tim to know he was the one doing it. There was still a month of summer break, so he had plenty of time to find the right thing to say (if he said anything).

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Tim returned to the table and picked up the book, giving it a little shake as he did so. The note dropped into his waiting hand and he eagerly opened it up to read Jason’s latest message. Before he could get very far, Jason turned his back on the table and focused on reshelving books. Admittedly, he was nervous about this note and wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Tim’s reaction to it would be.

He got so distracted thinking about what could go wrong, the sound of someone approaching him didn’t register until they tapped his shoulder. Familiar blue eyes met his, causing his heart to stutter and his blood to freeze in his veins. A shy smile from Tim kick-started everything up again and had Jason struggling to come up with something-anything-to say. He opened and closed his mouth several times in an attempt to speak, but no sound came out.

“Thank you for these. They’re very sweet.”

“I…”

Tim smiled a little brighter, then pressed something into Jason’s hand. “Even if you don’t come, I’ll be here tomorrow and the next day and the next and you can let me know if you change your mind. I just… I love the notes and I can’t keep pretending I don’t know you’re the one leaving them for me. I want to get to know you better, but I understand if I’m being too forward. Like I said, if you don’t come tonight, it’s fine. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

“You’re beautiful.”

Bright red blossomed over Tim’s cheeks and he dropped his eyes down to his feet. He rocked backwards onto his heels, then up onto the tips of his toes. Even pushed up, Tim barely reached Jason’s shoulder and Jason had to fight the urge to sigh at how adorable it was. Everything about Tim had Jason resisting the urge to do something that would make him look like a moron.

“Thanks. You’re very handsome. I’d love to stay and talk more, but I have to go pick up my brother. I really, really hope you come tonight. Bye, Jason.”

“Bye, Tim.”

It wasn’t until Tim disappeared from sight, Jason managed to get his fingers working well enough to open the paper Tim put in his hand. A few lines of neat cursive written by Tim were on the paper. He waited until his hands stopped shaking the page to read the short note.

_Jason,_

_Your notes have been the best part of my day. Each one makes me feel excited and giddy, like a child at Christmas. I have a box at home I keep them in, so I can read them when I need a little pick me up. You’re an incredibly sweet guy. I hope you don’t mind me asking for a little more from you. The notes have been wonderful, but I’d like to get to know you a little more._

_There’s a new pizza place on the corner of Fifth Street and Justice. It’s called Red Hood’s Pizzeria. I’ll be there from about six to nine tonight if you want to meet me. We can talk and get to know each other better. Obviously, you don’t have to, but I’ll be there._

_Tim_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)).


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